【01. Reunion】
Ring ring ring. Ring ring ring.
The call connection tone rang for a long time. Chaehun took a breath, suppressing his deep frustration.
Pick up. Pick up.
He repeated like a spell for the person to answer the phone, but the ringtone switched to a missed call message. This was already the third time.
“Haah.”
Chaehun quietly let out a sigh. Holding back the urge to curse, he pressed the redial button. In the meantime, the complicated gazes of the office staff reached him. Most were sympathetic. However, Chaehun had no time to care about that.
Listening to the lengthening ringtone, Chaehun glared at the empty seat next to him.
The one who caused the accident was Park Gwangho, Chaehun’s assistant. Because of that, the office had been turned upside down since this morning, but Park Gwangho, the main culprit of the incident, hadn’t shown up even though it was almost 10 o’clock. It was unauthorized absence.
Today’s trouble began when Chaehun discovered an irregularity in the pay statement of the head nurse in the VIP ward. The head nurse’s salary step had been entered incorrectly, resulting in an overpayment.
Taehwa Hospital was one of the top three in scale in South Korea, and the number of nurses exceeded 3,000. No matter how much the system did the calculations, it was ultimately work done by people, so mistakes like this occasionally happened. Since the person in charge had gone on a business trip to the provinces, Chaehun, who discovered the problem, decided to handle it.
Although it was the end of December, fortunately it was before year-end settlement. When he explained the situation over the phone, the head nurse also understood. The necessary documents would be delivered by Chaehun himself tomorrow morning. It should have been a simple matter. If only Park Gwangho hadn’t interfered.
As soon as the call ended, Park Gwangho, who had been listening from the side, spoke up. He stepped forward saying that since busy Chaehun was occupied, idle him would deliver the documents instead. Chaehun was really busy, but he flatly refused. It was because he couldn’t trust Park Gwangho.
Park Gwangho, who joined Taehwa Hospital as a two-year contract employee, originally belonged to the Planning and Public Relations Department. Young, handsome, and even rich, he was overflowing with confidence. But that was only on the surface. Park Gwangho, who caused accidents several times in the Planning and Public Relations Department, earned the nickname “crazy bastard” and was practically kicked out to the General Affairs Department.
Chaehun, who became Park Gwangho’s supervisor, could strongly assert that he was indeed a crazy bastard. His attendance was poor and he was terribly bad at work. He never apologized for mistakes either. Yet instead of being intimidated, he was brazen.
The reason was simple. It was because Park Gwangho was a parachute hire backed by the tremendous connection of being under the chairman. It was strange that someone with the chairman as his backer was a lowly contract employee. Still, looking at what he wore and used, it was almost certain he was a gold spoon. According to the office staff, the watch on his wrist alone was worth well over 10 million won.
To Park Gwangho, who complained that he wasn’t someone who should be in a place like this, Chaehun didn’t assign important tasks. Especially not tasks that required correcting mistakes.
But Park Gwangho acted on his own accord. Pretending to leave work, he came back to the office, took the documents Chaehun had put in his drawer, and headed to the VIP ward.
If he had stepped forward enthusiastically, he should have handled the work well, but Park Gwangho spewed insulting remarks at the head nurse he met. The head nurse supervisor who happened to overhear while passing by not only gave him a warning but even threatened to formally complain to the General Affairs Department. Still, Park Gwangho’s arrogant attitude remained the same. He acted as if to say “go ahead and try.”
What was really infuriating was that after causing such trouble, Park Gwangho had used Chaehun’s name. Because of this, Chaehun was struck by lightning as soon as he came to work. He didn’t know how much he was cursed out by the section chief who was fuming, followed by the coldly hardened assistant manager, before hearing the full story. Fortunately, thanks to Deputy Manager Lee Yeongjin sitting next to him becoming a witness, Chaehun was able to clear his name.
But that didn’t mean all problems were solved. Lee Hayeon, the head nurse supervisor of the VIP ward, said she wouldn’t hesitate to refer the matter to the disciplinary committee unless Park Gwangho came and apologized in person. And Park Gwangho, who caused all this trouble, was absent without leave and not answering his phone.
“Deputy Manager Kang.”
Hearing it switch to a missed call message and about to press redial again, the section chief called for Chaehun.
As Chaehun put down the receiver and followed the section chief out, sympathetic gazes followed him from behind. Chaehun, who was capable and had a sociable personality, was trusted in many ways. However, no one could take on Chaehun’s misfortune for him.
* *
The one who called for Chaehun was Administrative Director Cheon Sangjae. The authority of the Administrative Director, who oversaw all administrative staff at Taehwa Hospital, was formidable. He openly took Park Gwangho’s side. He conveyed Park Gwangho’s claim that he went to the VIP ward under Chaehun’s orders. He even made the ridiculous excuse that Park Gwangho pretended to be Chaehun because he was so surprised.
Fortunately, Chaehun had both a witness and evidence. The witness was Deputy Manager Lee Yeongjin, who sat next to Chaehun, and he testified that Chaehun never gave such orders. The evidence was the CCTV filming the entrance inside the General Affairs Department. When Chaehun said that footage of Park Gwangho leaving work first and then coming back to take documents from Chaehun’s desk would be recorded, Director Cheon couldn’t question the responsibility any further. Still, threats followed that if the matter got bigger, Chaehun would be in trouble.
In the end, cleaning up the mess was Chaehun’s responsibility. It was because Director Cheon conveyed that Park Gwangho had suddenly fallen seriously ill and would be absent for a while. Chaehun and his senior Deputy Manager Lee Yeongjin were the ones who went to persuade Head Nurse Supervisor Lee Hayeon, who was all fired up about referring the matter to the disciplinary committee.
Deputy Manager Lee Yeongjin, who had worked at Taehwa Hospital for 20 years, had wide connections and was also acquainted with Head Nurse Supervisor Lee Hayeon. Through Deputy Manager Lee’s mediation, they apologized to the head nurse supervisor and head nurse and explained the situation.
Head Nurse Supervisor Lee Hayeon cursed Park Gwangho as a crazy bastard with raw language and vented her anger, but didn’t mention the disciplinary committee anymore. She too knew that if the chairman was his backer, there was nothing good about making him an enemy.
Thanks to that, things ended more easily than they had worried. Not forgetting to express their gratitude, they left the VIP ward’s nursing office. On the way to the staff elevator, Deputy Manager Lee let out a long sigh.
“Really, we’re so lucky it ended with just this much. Right?”
“Yes. The head nurse supervisor is magnanimous.”
“I told you she doesn’t hold grudges. Everyone knows how bitchy that gold spoon parachute hire is. Still, my heart feels refreshed thinking we won’t have to see Park Gwangho’s face anymore.”
“He’s quitting?”
At Deputy Manager Lee’s words, Chaehun asked in surprise. Putting together what Park Gwangho had blurted out so far, it seemed there was some reason he had to endure here for two years. Looking at how Park Gwangho was trying to stick it out grudgingly and Director Cheon was trying hard to cover for him, it was almost certain.
“No. The section chief says he’ll transfer him somewhere else. After causing this mess, how could they keep him around? Right?”
“Then that’s really fortunate.”
“Fortunate, indeed. Very fortunate.”
Because of Park Gwangho’s crazy antics, not only Chaehun, who was Park Gwangho’s supervisor, but also Deputy Manager Lee, who was Chaehun’s senior, had suffered together. If this incident made him disappear from sight, it would be a blessing in disguise.
Nodding at each other, they stood in front of the elevator when the mobile phone in Deputy Manager Lee’s pocket vibrated several times. Deputy Manager Lee, who took out his phone to check, sighed deeply and muttered.
“Aigoo. Because it’s year-end, drinking appointments are lined up. My liver can’t take it anymore. How about you, Deputy Manager Kang? Do you have plans?”
“I have a class reunion tomorrow. A high school reunion.”
Tomorrow was Saturday, and gatherings under the guise of year-end parties usually ended in drinking sessions. Chaehun was planning to drink heavily to shake off his gloomy mood.
“Deputy Manager Kang, you should drink in moderation too. Don’t regret it after you break down like me. Aigugu. I’ve become a total old fart. Just nagging. Still, the liver is precious. You know?”
“Of course. I know. Everything is because of the liver.”
“Puhaha. Deputy Manager Kang is making dad jokes too.”
At Chaehun’s outdated joke, Deputy Manager Lee laughed. Chaehun shrugged nonchalantly. To navigate office life as the youngest in the organization, you needed at least one clumsy personal skill like this. Meanwhile, the elevator arrived. Deputy Manager Lee got on first, and as Chaehun, who followed, pressed the close button and lifted his head.
There was a man standing in front of the VIP ward’s dedicated elevator across from them, looking this way.
His tall height and dark gray coat caught the eye immediately. And his distinct face registered.
“Oh.”
The moment he thought the man resembled someone, the elevator door Chaehun was in closed. Still, Chaehun immediately recalled the man’s name.
Choi Seunggeon.
The door closed too quickly to be certain, but still, it seemed to be him.
“Deputy Manager Kang? What’s wrong?”
“Ah, well. I think I saw someone I know. But I’m not sure.”
“Really? Then call them.”
“Yes.”
He answered that he would do so, but Chaehun didn’t know his phone number.
